Ukraine strikes Russian refinery as truce ends amid US tensions

Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a brief truce spurned by Moscow was over amid deepening tensions with Washington.

The drone strike started a fire at the refinery about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry and Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said. Russia’s Astra online news outlet posted what it said was a photograph of the blaze. A senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Ukraine had hit the refinery.

Disputes over U.S. support

The strike could further complicate Kyiv’s relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, which have soured again in recent days. Zelenskyy was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of his country’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks. The Ukrainian government said that it was heeding the ceasefire.

Zelenskyy complained that, despite going along with Trump’s demand for a truce, Ukraine in recent days was denied the usual Western intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes and limits were placed on its use of U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals. Both are vital for Ukrainian defenses and attack operations.

The Ukrainian leader said in an interview with the Financial Times published Thursday that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries would resume. “We’re done,” he was quoted as saying.

Trump made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, despite international efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and diplomatically isolate Putin. Zelenskyy slammed the agreement, saying it would allow Russia to press on with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began more than 4½ years ago. U.S. efforts under Trump to end the war have made no progress.

In an interview late Wednesday with Piers Morgan on the British journalist’s YouTube show, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by Trump’s deal with Putin, the energy ceasefire announcement and the Starlink operational issues.

“Really, yes, between us,” Zelenskyy told Morgan when asked if he felt betrayed by the American president. “Our country has to survive, and we count on our real partners, strategic partners, the United States and President Trump.”

He said that the U.S. behavior “was really strange and what was not like between partners but that they switch off Starlink, so some actually crazy steps between us.”

European response and ongoing attacks

Amid fears that the Trump administration may be withdrawing support for Ukraine, Zelenskyy was due in Brussels for talks with European Union leaders attending a summit. He was traveling to Belgium after visiting London, where he won pledges of more help from U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Asked whether the EU still trusts Trump, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, replied: “We definitely have a different approach to this war. We see that we have to pressure the aggressor to stop the war, not the victim to surrender.”

“Squeezing Ukraine is not the right approach, and that is why Europe is standing beside Ukraine,” Kallas told reporters at the summit, which Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend on Friday.

Meanwhile, three people were killed and six others injured after the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine came under a Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours, Ukraine’s Emergency Services said Thursday. Zelenskyy said on X that between midnight and Thursday morning Russia launched more than 850 drones at Ukraine, adding that the barrage came “precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted.”

Russian aerial attacks hit 15 Ukrainian regions, he said. Ukrainian air defenses stopped 536 Russian drones during a large-scale overnight attack, the Ukrainian Air Force said, but impacts were recorded at 31 locations. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 166 Ukrainian drones overnight. It said that its forces hit two vessels carrying military cargo.

Why it matters

The resumption of attacks on Russian energy infrastructure marks a significant escalation following a short-lived pause. The incident highlights the growing rift between Kyiv and Washington, particularly regarding intelligence sharing and communication technology like Starlink. As Ukraine seeks stronger backing from European allies, the conflict continues to cause significant civilian casualties and infrastructure damage on both sides.

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Sources

• apnews.com: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries | AP News
• durangoherald.com: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, as US relations teeter
• oskaloosa.com: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, as US relations teeter | National News | oskaloosa.com
• independent.co.uk: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, after brief truce | The Independent
• 2news.com: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, as US relations teeter | World News | 2news.com
• ottumwacourier.com: Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, after brief truce | Business | ottumwacourier.com

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.